Home Media Magazine - August 26 - September 1, 2007 - (Page 12)

HIGH-DEF www.homemediamagazine.com Researcher: Scales Still Tipped Toward Blu-ray Disney’s display at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Canoga Park, Calif. Mallgoers Enthusiastic About Blu-ray Disc at Disney’s Tour By Chris Tribbey ANOGA PARK, Calif. — Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment kicked off its Magical Blu-ray Tour Aug. 17 at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Canoga Park, Calif. Disney showcased nearly a dozen 50-inch plasma Panasonic flatscreen TVs showing off PlayStation 3 and Blu-ray standalone player technology. A steady flow of Canoga Park mallgoers were treated to the best the technology has to offer, including interactive games, presentations on the sound and picture of high-definition, and a general Q&A on what Blu-ray is all about. Disney reps were on hand to highlight Blu-ray features, such as its high storage capacity, compared to DVD and HD DVD. C “It does look fantastic,” said Glendale, Calif., resident Jack Bair, after sitting in on the Blu-ray presentation at Westfield Topanga Mall. “I have a plasma [TV], but I don’t have a Blu-ray player. I just might have to get one.” So went the general attitude of people already familiar with the technology. They loved the way Blu-ray looked and sounded. Many just weren’t sure of the price. “I already knew about [Blu-ray],” said Los Angeles resident Joyce Taborda, who was at the mall with her two nieces. “They wanted to stop because they saw ‘Disney’ … I’m just waiting for the price of the player to come down [before I buy one].” Robert Powell, a representative of Panasonic, which is co-sponsoring See DISNEY, Page 28 By Chris Tribbey decade, more than 12 million of those with screens 37 he decision by Paramount Home Entertainment inches to 49 inches wide. and DreamWorks Animation to go exclusively with “Consumers are moving toward larger and larger HD DVD is huge in the high-def format war. screen sizes,” Bottoms said. But it may not be big enough to take away Blu-ray Disc’s All content providers and hardware manufacturers momentum, according to Jim Bottoms, CEO of media eventually will migrate to HD product almost exclusiveresearch firm Understanding & Solutions. ly, Bottoms said, adding the days of $100 high-def set“The Paramount announcement has weakened the Blu- top boxes are not far away, “and we’re not looking at 2011 ray offerings,” he told attendees at a to get there.” While DVD will still be Macrovision-sponsored research semi«PARAMOUNT’S DECISION king in 2011 — and “the revenues are nar at The Peninsula Beverly Hills on not going to come from digital [delivPROLONGS [CONFUSION Aug. 22. “Having said that, it hasn’t OVER] THE FORMAT ISSUE.» ery] for four to five years” — high-def strengthened HD DVD. will be making a lot more noise. JIM BOTTOMS, “The weight of the industry is still UNDERSTANDINGS & SOLUTIONS By 2011, 36% of all U.S. households very much behind Blu-ray … We do not will have HD DVD and/or Blu-ray believe, overall, it’s going to change the outcome of the players, with another 22% of households owning that battle.” “important Trojan horse” for high-def — HD-enabled Understanding & Solutions isn’t picking sides, Bot- game consoles — Bottoms said. HD-enabled PC drives toms stressed, but the sales clip this year of Blu-ray Discs will be in 17% of U.S. households by 2011. compared to HD DVDs (2-to-1, according to Nielsen On the content side, Comcast and DirecTV plan on a VideoScan), until this week had his firm convinced con- combined 500-plus high-def channels in the next year. sumers will pick a side with their wallets once and for And while only one in five U.S. households are watchall by the first quarter of 2008. ing high-def programming today, three out of four will What about now? be hooked on HD by 2011, according to the Understand“We won’t see resolution in Q4 this year,” Bottoms said ing & Solutions’ forecast. bluntly. “Paramount’s decision prolongs [confusion As for the optical format, Understanding & Solutions over] the format issue.” predicts 669 million high-def units will be sold domesWhile U.S. consumers are still confused over what it tically by 2011. While Blu-ray has a 90% hold on hightakes to have a true high-def household, they’ve got one def optical media in Japan, how the war goes in Ameripiece of the puzzle figured out: HDTVs. An Understand- ca will determine what people will be watching high-def ing & Solutions forecast has 40 million high-def-en- on worldwide, Bottoms said. abled TVs being shipped each year by the end of the “The United States is going to be the battleground.” T TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS TOP 10 HIGH-DEF SELLERS H I G H-D E F S E LLE R S Week ended August 19, 2007 TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX H I G H-D E F S E LLE R S Aggregate by Title Week ended August 19, 2007 TITLE FORMAT LABEL INDEX Blades of Glory H I G H-D E F CO M I N G U P STREETING THIS WEEK Blades of Glory Para./Dreamworks Dawn of the Dead Universal Heroes: Season 1 Universal The Hurricane Universal Notting Hill Universal HD DVD Street Date: 8/28 HD DVD Street Date: 8/28 HD DVD Street Date: 8/28 HD DVD Street Date: 8/28 HD DVD Street Date: 8/28 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 300 Wild Hogs 300 Vacancy Disturbia Planet Earth: The Complete Series The Lookout TMNT Planet Earth: The Complete Series Doctor Strange Blu-ray Blu-ray HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray HD DVD Blu-ray Warner 100.00 Dis./Touchstone 77.63 Warner 45.18 Sony Pictures 21.34 Para./DreamWorks16.96 BBC Video 15.22 Disney/Miramax 12.29 Warner 11.89 BBC Video 10.95 Lionsgate 10.77 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 300 Wild Hogs Planet Earth: The Complete Series Disturbia Vacancy Shooter TMNT The Lookout Doctor Strange Hot Fuzz BD; HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray BD; HD DVD BD HD DVD Blu-ray BD HD DVD BD; HD DVD/DVD Blu-ray Blu-ray HD DVD/DVD Warner 100.00 Dis./Touchstone 53.47 BBC Video 18.03 Para./DreamWorks 17.11 Sony Pictures 14.70 Paramount 12.24 Warner 11.75 Disney/Miramax 8.46 Lionsgate 7.42 Universal 7.41 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data TOP 5 HIGH-DEF B LU-R AY D I S C Week ended August 19, 2007 LABEL INDEX TOP 5 HIGH-DEF H D DVD Week ended August 19, 2007 LABEL INDEX PREBOOKING Bram Stoker’s Dracula Blu-ray Sony Pictures Pre: 8/30, Street: 10/2 Reign Over Me Blu-ray Sony Pictures Pre: 9/6, Street: 10/9 Surf’s Up Blu-ray Sony Pictures Pre: 9/6, Street: 10/9 TITLE TITLE 1 2 3 4 5 300 Wild Hogs Vacancy Disturbia Planet Earth: The Complete Series Warner 100.00 Disney/Touchstone 77.63 Sony Pictures 21.34 Paramount/DreamWorks 16.96 BBC Video 15.22 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 1 2 3 4 5 300 Planet Earth: The Complete Series Hot Fuzz The Bourne Identity Disturbia Warner 100.00 BBC Video 24.23 Universal 23.81 Universal 21.05 Paramount/DreamWorks 17.44 Source: Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data 12 Home Media Magazine August 26–September 1, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - August 26 - September 1, 2007

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